Mr. Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who in 2013 leaked huge amounts of information about NSA snooping on Americans and foreigners, has been hiding out in Russian Federation. Stone himself won two Best Director awards, for Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July, adding to an Oscar tally that began in 1978 when he won Best Adapted Screenplay for Midnight Express.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged Westerners to go see Oliver Stone’s new movie “Snowden”, about former CIA and U.S. National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden, the Moscow Times reported on Friday. Unfortunately, the report is classified, so you and I can’t read it.
Woodley said she thinks Snowden “did one of the greatest services to the world and to future generations” and has great empathy for Mills. Barton Gellman, a senior fellow with the Century Foundation, called the report’s summary “aggressively dishonest”.
The editorial came in the wake of a growing American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International-led campaign that is seeking to secure a pardon for the whistleblower, especially as a biopic titled “Snowden” is set to be released this weekend.
Last night’s joint op-ed from the Post’s editorial board comes at a moment when activists are in the midst of a concerted campaign to lobby President Obama to pardon Snowden. Right from the start, the espionage charges that have been put over his head – which he is potentially facing up to 40 years in jail for – are very politically motivated. Mr. Trump says, “He’s a awful guy”, and even hinted at seeking his execution.
“The congressman believes Edward Snowden should be held accountable for his actions”, Moffet said.
“Snowden should not be threatened with serious felony convictions and prolonged confinement under World War One-era laws that treat him like a spy who sold secrets for profit”, the petition continues.
Mostly, Stone focuses on Snowden’s Central Intelligence Agency career and the effect his principled work had on his romantic relationship with Lindsay Mills, portrayed by Shailene Woodley.
Snowden and his supporters see him as a whistleblower, one who performed an extremely valuable public service when he disclosed the NSA’s blanket collection of the telephone records of American citizens.
Regarding the USA presidential election, Snowden said he would vote by absentee ballot but declined, “as a privacy advocate”, to reveal his choice.
And yet, while no judicial determination has been made as to Snowden’s innocence or guilt, the judiciary has determined that Obama’s actions, in having his NSA gather our phone and internet metadata – and more – were illegal.
Things come to a head when Snowden discovers how many people, domestically and overseas, are having their personal information collected by the government, despite official denials. The documents revealed several surveillance programs by the US.
“I welcome this debate”, Obama declared after Snowden broke the story of NSA surveillance. “In fact, I think it’s patriotic”.
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Some U.S. officials have at least acknowledged the part Snowden played in all this. It’s part of what makes the United States of America a great country, part of why I’m proud to be from here: “We have the right to ask those questions”.
